Coaches And Players Prepping For Football Season
Oskaloosa Indians Football (2018 file photo)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The whistles marked the start of football season this week, as the Indians hosted their week-long camp.
Last year, the Indians were 8-2 on the season, defeating Pella along the way. A state playoff birth saw the Indians bowing out in the first round.
It’s a new team with the same goals as last year, play each game like it’s their last, and to not overlook an opponent.
Oskaloosa Head Football Coach Jake Jenkins said there are “really good numbers. And we have good leadership from the senior group.”
“Every year, you don’t know how your leadership is going to be or what it’s going to look like. “This is a really quiet group, but they speak with their actions,” explained Jenkins of the leadership developing within the team. “So they play really hard, and they play really well together. So I like what we’re seeing from the senior group.”
Last year’s leaders were also described as quiet, and Jenkins thinks maybe some of that leadership quality has impacted this year’s leaders. “This group is exceptionally quiet.”
For Jenkins, he’s seeing a team that is just wanting to be ready to play, “We don’t need to talk a lot, we’re going to speak with our actions.”
“I love that. I would rather people show up and really speak with their actions,” added Jenkins. “I’m really excited to see what they can do this year.”
On the offense, Jenkins says there are a lot of question marks at this point about who will be playing what positions. Butler is the only returning starter from the offensive line last year.
“The thing I like about it, we have a lot of guys competing right now. We’re always going to adjust to the personnel that we have. So we won’t know exactly what our offense looks like until we decide or give that guy the nod.”
In the quarterback position, there are three players, Schultz, Brown, and Flaherty that are competing for that starting position. “They’ve all been handling that really well. It’s been really exciting to see what’s going on,” added Jenkins.
On the defensive line, Jenkins says there are several players back. Kenny Settimi and Walker Newman, and Reed Brown, along with Aaron Blom. Secondary senior Mason Ford is reported to have stepped up big. “We have some starters back, and we have a lot of guys that have played or were a play away last year.”
The Indians will get their first taste of football this year when they travel to Ottumwa for a preseason scrimmage on August 23rd.
The season opener will be at home against Pella Christian on August 30th.
Coach Jenkins philosophy remains the same when it comes to the season. “You always take every opponent the same. You plan for this game like it’s a championship. We don’t plan any different than we do for a playoff game, and so we really believe in playing one game at a time because it helps you keep your focus.”
“We know PC is a strong team, is a quality program, and they’ve been a quality program for years. So we’re going to take this like this is the only game on our schedule. And then after week one, we look at who we play next. It’s just the way we do things,” Jenkins explained.
